Islamabad: With a cold wave gripping most parts of Pakistan, people in the garrison city of Rawalpindi are thronging weekly bazaars to buy used warm clothes.

A survey conducted by the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency found that many shoppers, the majority of them women, were buying second-hand apparel - cardigans, sweaters, jackets, and even socks, caps, mufflers and gloves.

Heaps of used quilts, blankets and rugs are also up for sale in the markets of Rawalpindi.

People said that the number of shops selling used garments have decreased this year, but many places were selling clothes made in other countries.

"Foreign clothes are in greater quantity than local clothes. But thanks to the weekly bazaars, poor people can buy imported used clothing of reasonable quality to pass through the hardships of winter," a customer told APP.

Temperatures in the neighbouring city of Islamabad have dropped to around 2 degrees Celsius.

Thick fog has covered the capital and adjoining areas, forcing many roads to be closed.